How Time Flies

Dear friends,
Today is 25 June and soon we will step into the month of July; the second half of year 2008. How time flies and the second half of year 2008 is just round the corner. Soon, we will be celebrating National Day. Did you manage to get any tickets to watch the parade?

I did not manage to get any during the past few years and this year is also no exceptional. I can only watch the grand celebration from my small box - tv.

Take good care of your health. Health is wealth. With health, your wealth is already in your hands.

regards,
Bungerstar.

Haze likely in the next 3 months

The cause: hotter weather plus burning activities in region; S'pore to run 2 new anti-haze programmes in Jambi, Indonesia By Liaw Wy-Cin

BRACE yourselves for bad-air days ahead.

The smoky haze is likely to be back in the next three months as a result of a combination of hotter, drier weather and burning activities in Malaysia and Indonesia.

However, Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said the number of hot spots in Indonesia has come down considerably.

'I wouldn't say there will be no haze. I think the hot spots have come down. Indonesia's own plan of action is to reduce the number by 50 per cent. That means there will still be hot spots, but the number will be reduced.'

He added that his own sense of the situation was that efforts on the ground were already in place, but that 'like all plans, there is always a weakest link that we don't understand until it gets implemented'.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre has noted a weakening of the La Nina weather phenomenon, which would have brought wet weather to douse the smoky fires that the region's farmers set.

With the phenomenon weakening, the next three months are expected to be drier than in the same period last year.

The south-west monsoon winds, expected to blow rain away from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, will also bring drier weather, which could set the scene for Singapore to be enveloped in the choking haze.

Dr Yaacob gave this forecast at a press conference following a meeting with his counterparts from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand yesterday.

It was the group's fifth meeting since the setting up of a task force in late 2006 to tackle the problem, which has hit the five countries almost annually since 1997.

Farmers and plantation owners in Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands clear the land by slashing its vegetation and burning it in the middle of the year, ahead of the planting season.

Dr Yaacob and Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Nature Conservation Enhancement and Environmental Degradation Control, Mrs Masnellyarti Hillman, said the containment measures discussed at the meeting centred on involving local communities in combating the haze.

Malaysia, for example, is working with Indonesia to train communities in fire-fighting in Riau province. Both countries are also installing haze-monitoring equipment there.

Dr Yaacob unveiled two programmes Singapore will run with Indonesia's Jambi province in north Sumatra. One is to train farmers to rear fish for export instead of growing crops, to turn them away from slash-and-burn cultivation; the other is aimed at keeping the water level in the area's peatlands up. This is because when they dry out, they catch fire easily.

The two programmes, expected to cost $800,000, come on top of the $1 million set aside earlier for seven Singapore-Jambi programmes.

Of the seven, two have been completed. These provided training for Jambi officials in reading satellite pictures for hot-spot information, and for farmers and officials on eco-friendly farming.

The ministers will meet again in Phuket, Thailand, in October.

(source: www.straitstimes.com/print/Free/Story/STIStory_251014.html)

Second round of GST Offset Credits

Hi folks,
The second round of GST offset credits on 1st July 2008.
http://www.gstoffset.gov.sg/GSTCredits.htm

Remember to check your bank account around 1st July 2008.

A Relief on Prices of Rice?

AFTER three months of soaring rice prices, consumers can afford to breathe a little easier for now.

From today, the prices of eight types of NTUC FairPrice’s housebrand rice will be reduced by between 5 and 12 per cent, Singapore’s largest supermarket chain announced yesterday.

This marks the first time FairPrice is cutting the prices of its housebrands since rice prices shot up in March.

A 5kg bag of its Thai Fragrant White Rice will cost $7.45, down from $8.50, while its Thai White Rice (picture) — the cheapest type — will be sold at $6.95 for a 5kg bag, instead of $7.50.

Although global rice prices peaked about three weeks ago, the price of rice had been expected to fall in recent months, as major producers in South-east Asia braced themselves for harvesting bumper crops.

But CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun was circumspect on whether the price of rice would continue to drop across the board, pointing out that the initial spike was triggered by unpredictable factors such as inclement weather and panic-buying.

“At least for now, there is more stability for rice, a staple food here,” he said. “But having said that, the price of rice is still significantly higher than that of a year ago.”

On Wednesday, a survey by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) provided the first indications of a respite for consumers when it revealed that the prices for a handful of imported rice brands, such as Golden Peony and Royal Umbrella, had dipped.

But the survey also showed that prices of housebrands had risen in the last month.
FairPrice group chief executive Tan Kian Chew added that the company was “still clearing the existing stock of rice bought at a higher price”.

Mr Tan said: “Due to our prudent buying strategy, we have managed to secure new shipments of rice at a lower price. Although the new shipments will arrive only in end July ... FairPrice is committed to pass on the anticipated savings to our customers.”

Today was unable to reach the other supermarket chains at press time, but Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said that FairPrice’s competitors might follow suit “if they were concerned with competition”.

Still, Mr Seah added: “In the short run, there would be price rigidity and prices might not go down as much as consumers want to see. But the prices shouldn’t be going up.”

source: www.todayonline.com/articles/260638.asp

Cherry-blossom in Korea

Mr Kwon took some pictures of cherry blossom from his home in Korea.

Cherry-blossom in Japan

ITO-san took some photos on cherry blossom during this spring. This scenary is simply beautiful!

Prices of Rice

If you go to the supermarket for your regular grocery shopping, I am sure you would have noticed the prices of almost every item has gone up during each visit.

In particular, the prices of one of our most important staple food - rice, has gone up significantly. I recalled a pack of 5 kg rice used to be less than $6 now, it costs as much as $9. I am talking about the cheapest option for rice. The higher-end rice already costs at least $10 for a pack of 5kg.

What is going on here? We read from the papers that oil prices continue to soar, the inflation rate reaching all time high, commodity prices rise due to shortage and various reasons,...

We as consumers suffer and who is gaining from this issue?

10th of June Part iii

The Merlion; the symbol of our country and on Sentosa, this Merlion is really big and magnificent. 

Besides the hot weather and the expensive entrance tickets for various attractions, the overall experience on this little island has been wonderful and memorable.

However, my next trip would be much later as I would have to save some money first.

10th of June Part ii

Both rides on Skyride and Skytower allowed me to have breathstaking views on the surrounding scenary. I saw the construction site for Resorts World and the beautiful beaches at Rasa Sentosa.

When Resorts World opens, Sentosa will be very different from now. 

The presence of Vivo City has changed this part of the city. Do you still remember that World Trade Centre used to be some warehouse buildings? They are used for exhibitions and also the examination halls for students from NUS (many years ago). Now Vivo City is vibrant and alive with lots of shoppers despite a weekday.

10th of June Part i

I spent half a day at Sentosa.

I took advantage of the promotional choice package and bought a ticket which cost $33.90 including island admission.

There are a few attractions which I can choose from. I have to specify at the point of buying the ticket. I chose the Luge & Skyride Ride, a ride at SkyTower,  Images of Singapore and Butterfly and Insects Kingdom.

It was my first time riding the luge at Sentosa. I had my first luge ride at new Zealand but I didn't have a good experience maybe because I was quite timid and the slope was quite steep. The slope here was really mild; really suitable for young and old. The only complaint was the hot weather. 

News from AIA

Dear Friends,

Good news for you all, in view of the rising costs of food and oil, AIA has taken note and feedback and is pleased to announce the following:

From now to before 4th August, any life and savings plan which I have personally recommended to you before and if your premium is above $2000, AIA is going to give you a choice of minimum either $80 cold storage or Exxonmobil vouchers.

During the same period, any accident and health plan which the premium is above $250, a straight $30 voucher will be given.

Share the news with your friends.

Contact me if you have more queries.

Thanks

Regards
Roger (rogerlcf@aia.com.sg)

OCBC Preference Shares at 5.1%pa

Did you follow the latest news on OCBC Preference Shares?

http://www.ocbc.com/personal-banking/investment/Inv_prefshares.shtm

Although the subscription was made available to retail investors, the subscription was closed shortly due to the overwhelming response.

The min amount was $20k, which was not a small sum. But there was no lack of investors.

Is this a great deal?

No More Updating of Passport Photo

Hi friends,
Do your young kids have their own passport? As they grow, their appearance may change and so updating their passport with their recent photo may be necessary. However, I just found that there is no more such update. This means one has to apply for a new bio-metric passport even if the current passport is valid for another five or even more years.

Each online application is $70 and personal collection of the passport is needed when it is ready.

I feel that this is really a waste of money!

bungerstar

A Sad News

I read that Dr Lee Kum Tatt has passed away recently. I do not know him but I read this blog:

http://www.leekumtatt.blogspot.com/

There is a very interesting article in his blog which I would like to share:

Cracked Pots

This is a message from a Friend. An elder Chinese woman has two large pots each hung on the end of a pole which she carries across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the Cracked Pot arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed and miserable of its own imperfection. It could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. I am ashamed of myself with this crack on my side which causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.

The woman smiled. “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path but not on the other pot’s side?” That’s because I always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Everyday while we walked back you watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.

Each of us has our own unique flaws. It’s the cracks and flaws we each have that makes our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You just have to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

God knows how many ‘Cracked Pots’ we have in our midst. To all your ‘Cracked Pot’ friends have a great day. Remember to smell the flowers on your side of your path. 
We thank you for these beautiful flowers!

(source: http://www.leekumtatt.blogspot.com/)

My Comments:

I like the sentence : "It’s the cracks and flaws we each have that makes our lives together so very interesting and rewarding."

An International Buffet

Time flies and we are in the month of June. 

On the first day of June, I had a precious chance to dine in a very posh hotel near Orchard Road. The moment I stepped into this hotel, I was amazed by the amazingly spacious reception hall. Mind you, this is Singapore, a very small island and space is always limited.

The dinning place was at one of the restaurants which opens 24 hours, serving a wide spread of various great food to cater to visitors and hotel guests.

There is a section on Japanese cuisine, Indian cuisine, seafood cuisine etc. In each section, you can eat as much as you can. The prawns, different types of clams and shells, lobsters etc fresh. 

I am also impressed by the services provided by the waiters and waitresses. Used plates are cleared and free-flow of water is refilled promptly. They serve with a smile and are always ready to assist the guests.

Last to mention, the price is also great; an adult is paying min $68. But you will be surprised that the restaurant is almost full with families bringing their young and old.

Ok, this restaurant is The Line Shop in Shangri-La Hotel.

http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurant/thelineshop